Semiclassical molecular dynamics simulations of electromagnetically induced transparency cooling of 2D and 3D ion crystals in a Penning trap

Abstract:Motional modes of trapped-ion crystals in Penning traps can now be cooled to near their ground states via electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) cooling. Numerical simulations are valuable tools for interpreting EIT cooling results and optimizing experimental protocols, but existing molecular dynamics codes are limited to the simulation of Doppler cooling. In this work, we fill this gap by implementing a semiclassical model of EIT cooling in a novel MD code. By simultaneously evolving the ions' internal quantum states and classical motion, we are able to calculate the instantaneous EIT laser forces acting on the ions. We first validate our code by comparing the single-ion cooling rate to fully quantum simulation results. Next, we analyze cooling of the drumhead modes in planar ion crystals, quantifying the effects of planar ion motion and a finite laser beam width. Finally, we demonstrate efficient EIT cooling of the axial modes in 3D ellipsoidal crystals containing up to 500 ions. Such crystals are a promising platform for future quantum sensing experiments with enhanced sensitivity. We find that the mode spectra of 3D crystals can be engineered to enable sympathetic cooling of the low-frequency $\boldsymbol{E}\times\boldsymbol{B}$ modes. This numerical framework provides a powerful tool for modeling sub-Doppler cooling techniques and for optimizing future quantum sensing and quantum information experiments.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph)

arXiv:2610.29718 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2610.29718v1 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2610.29718 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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